Easy Beginner’s Guide to Understanding French Wine

Learning How to Pick Good French Wines

A Quick Reference Guide for Wines in France

When it comes to drinking wine, you may be familiar with a couple grapes that you generally like or maybe just are aware of. The way the French classify their wine is a bit different that what you and I may be familiar with in North America. A lot of the time we just focus on the grape because there are not many wine regions around us… but in France it is quite the opposite!

We will be providing you with a quick guide to reference while traveling or studying abroad in France. There will be no extra information to confuse you, just the honest tips that our student bloggers found useful during their time in France.

To give you a quick overview, we will be covering the following topics to build up your sommelier skills:

1. What is Terroir and why is it important?
2. What are the main Terroirs in France?
3. What are some French Red Wine grapes to know?
4. What are some French White Wine grapes to know?
5. Wine label vocabulary and what it means?
   

What Is Terroir?

There is no actual direction translation in English for Terroir. The word essentially refers to the geography and make up of the soil and environment from which a grape is grown. This is very important because different soils, climates, and slope or elevation of the landscape can produce very different tasting wines using the same grapes. Because of the long rich history of French wines and the complex terroirs developed over time, French wines are mostly known for their earthy and mineral flavours as opposed to the fruitier wines that are more common in New World vineyards.

Why Is It Important?

French wines can be confusing because they rarely put the name of the grape on the bottle. Instead they put a controlled place name, appearing on the label as the "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée." You will often see this abbreviated as AOC or, to get in line with EU terminology, AOP. The rules for winemaking and grape growing in each appellation have grown out of each region's long history. Therefore, knowing the terroir will help you decipher the wine you are about to taste.

What Are The Main Terroirs In France?

Photo by WineFolly

French Red Wine Grapes to Know 

• Beaujolais (“bo-jho-lay”): Made from the Gamay grape, this is France’s most versatile red wine and goes with practically any food. It’s not too heavy, not too light, not too fruity, not too dry — a real Goldilocks of wine!
• Beaujolais wines come in three levels of quality and none of them is expensive. The wine labeled “Beaujolais” is good. “Beaujolais-Villages” is better. And the top “Cru Beaujolais” wines have a special name on the label like Fleurie or Juliénas.
• Côtes du Rhône (“cote-doo-rone”): These are fruity, robust wines that are perfect with a hearty winter meal. They are blends and the most common grapes are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre — look for ones with lots of Grenache and not much Mourvedre.
• Bordeaux (“bore-dough”): While famous for its grand crus, Bordeaux also produces a lot of delicious, inexpensive wines. They are usually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Merlot is a medium-bodied wine that goes with lots of different foods. But pump up the Cabernet and you get a wine that shouts, “It’s time for steak!”

French White Wine Grapes to Know

• Sancerre (“sawn-sehr”): This is a real crowd-pleaser, like Pinot Grigio but with more flavor. It is made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape and is great to either sip at a party or have with a meal. Try it with goat cheese — it’s crazy good!
• Bordeaux Blanc (“bore-dough blonk”): When most people think of Bordeaux they think of red wine, so this “white Bordeaux” is the insider secret. A blend of two grapes, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, it is similar to Sancerre but has more body and goes with lighter foods like chicken, fish, and pasta.
• Vouvray (“voo-vray”): This is a classy wine to have with a meal, rather than as a casual one for sipping. It is made from the Chenin Blanc grape and you can get it dry (sec), sweet (brut) or in between (demi-sec.) The sweeter ones are terrific with spicy Asian food.

Wine Label Vocabulary – Decipher Your Next Bottle

• Année – Year the grapes were harvested in.
• Appellation – AOC defined area where the grapes were grown in.
• Blanc – White Wine.
• Blanc Sec – Dry White Wine
• Brut – Dry Sparkling Wine.
• Cave – Wine Cellar.
• Centenaire – Produced from grapes grown on vines more than 100 years of age.
• Château – Estate where the wine was produced.
• Cooperative – Group or syndicate of local growers that pool or mix their grapes.
• Côte – Slopes or hillsides.
• Cru – A wine, chateau or vineyard that has been classified.
• Cru Classe – Vineyard that has been classified.
• Date – The date on the label signifies year the grapes were harvested.
• Demi Sec – Medium dry white wine.
• Domaine – Similar to chateau, a place where the wine was made.
• Grand Cru – A higher level of classification. The term Grand Cru takes on different meanings, depending on the region or AOC law.
• Grand Cru Classe en 1855 – Specific to Bordeaux showing the chateau was classified in the 1855 Medoc Classification.
• Grand Vin – The best wine from a producer.
• Millesime – The vintage the grapes were harvested in.
• Mis en Bouteille – The wine was bottled at the chateau or domaine.
• Negociant – The wine was bottled by the negociant and was probably produced from purchased grapes or wine.
• Premier Cru – A wine of First Growth status.
• Premier Grand Cru Classe – A wine of First Growth status.
• Produit de France – The wine is a product of France.
• Propriétaire – Owner of the chateau or vineyard.
• Récoltes – A wine made from estate grown grapes that is usually of high quality.
• Rouge – Red wine.
• Selection de Grains Nobles – Sweet wine
• Vendange – Harvest.
• Vieilles Vignes – Old Vines
• Vigneron – The owner, grape grower or vineyard manager.
• Vignoble – Vineyard
• Vin – Wine.
• Vin de Bourgogne – Wine from Burgundy
• Year – The year on the label signifies year the grapes were grown and harvested.

Photo by WineFolly

To conclude, we hope this article has given you a place to start when you first get to France and are eager to start tasting some wines. Obviously, this is just an introduction and the huge variety of French wine is still overwhelming to locals – so don’t get down if you still feel confused in a wine store! If you are unsure, never be afraid to ask the store clerk to give you some recommendations. They know the wine better than anyone and can really help you find something that fits your taste best!

Happy wine drinking from all of us at Le French Baroudeur!!

At Le French Baroudeur we provide quality content for our readers that is Honest, Informative, and Entertaining. We aim to provide the best travel tips and travel guides for people looking to discover, explore, and live in France. Whether you are a university exchange student studying abroad or just someone looking to visit France, we are the blog for you. Our team of travel bloggers is dedicated to giving you the best information and tips based on our personal experiences and insights from others!

Sources:

1. drinks.seriouseats.com
2. www.frenchly.us
3. www.thewinecellarinsider.com